COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — His speech over, the ceremony closed, Rich “Goose” Gossage waved to adoring fans chanting his name.
He stood alone on stage. Just as he does in Cooperstown.
On a sultry Sunday at Clark Sports Center before an estimated 14,000 fans, Gossage became the first Colorado-born player ever inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“When you’re playing, you don’t have time to stop and smell the roses and understand what you’ve accomplished,” Gossage said. “Being from Colorado, being the only one, I can’t comprehend it.”
Gossage grew up in Colorado Springs, where he and his wife, Corna, raised their sons Jeff, Keith and Todd and still make their home. He blossomed into a star at Wasson High School, leading the Chicago White Sox to select him in the ninth round of the 1970 draft.
Gossage played 22 seasons in the big leagues, recording 310 saves. He is only the fifth reliever to be elected into the Hall of Fame. Gossage wore nine different uniforms, but is most remembered as a Yankee. He helped the team win the 1978 World Series. His plaque features him wearing a Yankees cap.
“I grew up a Yankees fan and my favorite player was Mickey Mantle,” Gossage said. “As a kid from Colorado Springs to grow up and become a Yankee and now go into the Hall of Fame, it’s something that I can’t even put into words.”
